How to Pack Light Like a Pro

I'm quite proud of my skill when it comes to packing for a trip. Whether it's for a weekend camping trip or six weeks in Germany, I can fit it all in my bag/suitcase and I pack light, so I thought I would share a few of my secrets.
The first, is this interactive packing list I found on IndependentTraveler.com. It gives you a lengthy list of almost anything you might need on any kind of trip, then you select the ones you want and it puts all the items in a neat little printable list for you! I always use this when I go on a longer vacation, just to make sure I don't forget anything.
Personally, though, I like writing my lists by hand, so I can check off what I have, and colour-code the rest (laundry, to buy, last minute), and then when it gets too crowded, I can compile the leftover items into a new list!

As I check off items, I put them in different piles: Pants and shorts, Tops, Dresses, PJs and bigger items (Jacket, bathing suit bag, towel). Keep in mind, all of this is for almost a month of travelling with no laundry stops... (Minus the underwear, but who really wants to see that?)

Then, there's toiletries. I tend to always go a little overboard with those. I'm not a fan of travel-sized bottles, simply because I find that one shampoo bottle lasts about 4 days if I try really hard. And it's not always guaranteed there will be shampoo and soap in hostels, so I just bring Dollorama stuff that I can leave behind at the end of the trip. That way, I'm sure not to run out, and it's extra room I can use for souvenirs! And that orange bag at the back? That's a waterproof bag that I will be using to carry my toiletries in my bag so they don't leak, and also my valuables when I go take a shower!In case you were wondering, the Eucerin bottle is an after-sun lotion that I bought in Germany. It does miracles, and I will definitely need this in Thailand! Also, I always bring a Swiss Army knife with me. Those little guys are always useful! As are band-aids.. Especially with my track record of injuries...Of course, there are a few things missing in this pile, but those are just the last minute things I need to add the night before (i.e. Toothbrush) Question is, how do you keep your shampoo bottle that's too big for a Ziploc bag from leaking? Here's the answer! Just put a plastic bag between the cap and the bottle, then wrap the bag around the bottle!

One thing I also do, is that from the clothes I plan on bringing, I take out a comfortable outfit that I will wear on the plane, that way I'm not bringing any extra clothes, and it leaves more room in my bag (always bring a sweater, even in a tropical country. Airplanes are evil for their air conditioning and some nights can be pretty chilly).The last thing I do, is I stuff everything in my bag WITHOUT folding it. If it all fits without being properly folded, that means there will be lots of room on the way back when it will be neatly rolled and tucked in every tiny little empty space.

And voila! That's how you pack light like a pro!

Life Lately

I've been really absent lately... And for that I apologize. I've had no motivation to write at all, and it's not like there has been anything interesting going on in the past couple of weeks. Regardless, here's what I've been up to.

• I finished my last exam of the year on the 19th and I've been doing virtually nothing ever since, and it feels awesome. (I managed to watch all eight seasons of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix in a week, because that's how much time to waste I have!)
• I haven't run in a week, due mostly to laziness and because I'm sick, so I feel terrible about this upcoming half-marathon.
• I'm running my first half-marathon in 5 days!!!!
• My knee is very slowly getting better...
• I've been sick - It started off as violent nausea after every time I ate, to actual pain in my abdomen, so I went to see the doctor and it could either be some kind of bug/infection or an ulcer... Yay me!
• I just got my grade back for an essay I did on Quinoa... A+! Probably my only A this term...
• Today I started packing for my trip to Thailand! For those of you who didn't know, I'm leaving for Thailand on Monday, so in 6 days! (And yes, it's the day after the half-marathon)
• The snow is pretty much all gone!!
• Oh... and I may have also given up on this month's 30 Day Challenge... Oops!

Also, probably the thing I'm most proud of: My documentary got in the University of Winnipeg Film Festival! It will be on the big screen tomorrow night and I can't wait to see it! On top of that, the Rockland Youth Film Festival contacted me via Twitter and want me to enter my film in their film festival!
I can't believe that I got in on my first try! I promise an update on this very soon.

Gerald Laroche: Master of the Harmonica

In my filmmaking class, we had two projects to make: a drama, and a documentary. At first, I thought that the drama (scripted) would be easier and more fun to do, since I love writing and telling stories, but I found myself enjoying making the documentary so much more!

At first, I wanted to do it on bullying, but then decided against it, since it would be a pretty hard subject to make a documentary about. So I decided to be "lazy" and do a documentary on my dad. He's a musician and I thought it could be interesting if I were to do this about him, so I thought what the hell, and I did it!

I'm actually so proud of this one. I work really hard on it, and I love it.

There it is!

Gerald Laroche: Master of the Harmonica

Halfie Update: Weeks 7 and 8: Never Ending Injuries

I've been training for two months already! I can't believe how fast time is going by!

It seems like I have hopped on the Injury-Train and can't stop getting injured! Before, it was shin splints, and now it's my knee and lower back. I went to the clinic to get it checked out, and they were super rude, but whatever. Anyway, they said that I irritated my hamstring tendon and my lower back, and that I should put ice on it and take Advil. ...Isn't THAT great advice. I also got a prescription for physio, so at least that's progress!

Anyway, so week 8 was a total disaster, training-wise. I was so busy with school, that I almost forgot to eat and so you can see why I didn't manage to go running. I went for one run on Tuesday and then my long run on Saturday, which was also terrible. I was way too hot and my knee hurt, so it definitely could have been better.

And.... Well I got a sunburn. There's still snow on the ground.... Yeah.

Up to now, I've run over 112 miles, lost 10 pounds and I feel amazing! There's only 3 weeks left before the half marathon, and I can't wait. Bring it on!

The Devil is in the Details

I've been taking a filmmaking class this year that I absolutely loved and our two final projects were to write and direct a drama (so any fictional movie) and a documentary.
Let's start with the drama, since, in my opinion, it really isn't as good as my documentary. There were so many problems with it, but I finished it!
In a few scenes, you could see the boom pole, in others, the colours weren't right, or it was too dark, and in the outdoor scenes, the sound was just awful, which is why there are subtitles. I spoke with my prof about it and she told me that unless I wanted to rerecord the sound, the only option was to add subtitles and understand that I learned a lot about sound editing/recording. And I did. I definitely learned a lot from making this film and I honestly can't wait to try again and not make these mistakes!

So, drum roll please....!
The Devil is in the Details.

Converse

When I was younger, I had this punk phase and I wanted to dress exactly like Avril Lavigne. I loved her Converse. I thought they were just the coolest thing ever and I needed a pair of those! So I got a pair and let me tell you, I have never found another pair of shoes like these. I've been wearing Converse (the low tops) pretty much since grade 7 and I love them. I haven't worn them in about two years and man, have I missed these shoes!

 

They go with anything, they're light, conformable and they last a lot longer than any other shoe I've had, and the older they get, the comfier they get. (You can even wear it with a dress! -sort of-) Plus, now you can custom design your own pair on the website! Whatever pattern you want, any material, design, etc!

Of course I wear other shoes like ballet flats, flip flops and winter boots, but during the summer, Converse is definitely my favourite pair of shoes.

30 Day Shred

There's only 27 days left before I leave for Thailand, which means 27 days to get as fit as possible and look great in my bikini! A long time ago I bought Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, but I could never do more than a few days before giving up.

Source

As great as cardio is for losing weight, it doesn't have the same effect as a full body workout and weight training. Now that I'm done school, I'll have more time and energy to workout, so combined with my half-marathon training, it will hopefully make a difference.

I started on April 1st, and I've only missed one up to now, and it was because I was at school from 9:30am until 10pm editing my movie projects, and then went home and wrote an essay until 1:30am. I've been highlighting the days that I did my workout on my calendar to keep track. 

Should I post progress pictures at the end of the challenge?

JUNOfest

The Juno Awards were in Winnipeg this weekend and it was quite the event! I didn't go to the award show, unfortunately, but I did participate at JUNOfest, which is basically a 2-day music festival with over 100 artists at over 15 different venues. I was volunteering at The Pyramid Cabaret and got to see some really fantastic Canadian bands! It was so worth being up until 3am!

Since I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of the bands (what a stupid rule), I put the music video of two of my favourites from this weekend: Rah Rah and Born Ruffians.